S.C. Johnson to erect 2 wind turbines in Racine County

S.C. Johnson is moving ahead with plans to install two large wind turbines to supply power to its sprawling Waxdale factory in Racine County.

The 415-foot-tall turbines will be erected in Mount Pleasant, after village officials approved the project late last year. The turbines will generate about 8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, or about 15% of the plant’s annual energy needs.

“The wind turbines allow us to expand our use of green energy in manufacturing our products,” said Fisk Johnson, the company’s chairman and chief executive, in a statement. “When completed, the addition of these wind turbines will enable us to generate on average 100% of our electrical energy on-site at Waxdale, with approximately 60% of it coming from renewable sources.”

The turbines are part of broader sustainability initiatives at the Racine maker of household products such as Windex and Glade. S.C. Johnson has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its worldwide factories by 26% since 2000, and last year announced a five-year goal to reduce emissions by another 6%.

The project, along with the Cashton Greens wind project near La Crosse, are small wind projects that were still in the works despite a wind power siting policy stalemate in Madison that slowed development of larger wind farms.

State regulators in Madison are now reviewing a proposal for a large wind project, the Highland Wind Farm, in St. Croix County. A Public Service Commission decision on the project is expected by December.

About Thomas Content

Thomas Content covers energy, clean technology and sustainable business. A series he co-wrote on energy and climate change won top honors in 2008 from the National Press Foundation.

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